Matt's 2nd Birthday Party!!! And Other Things!

Matt had his first and last 2nd birthday party on thursday (the 18th). It was lots of fun! Since Sean and I both had the day off, before the actual party we decided to go up the mountain to see the snow.

It hadn't snowed since the day before, and I had gone up there before without chains when it was actually snowing. So, we didn't think it was going to be a problem. However as fate would have it, chains were required halfway up, and right before the snow started. We were pretty disappointed, but decided to pull over and admire the scenery for a while before heading back.

Ahh...the desert in winter.

Ta DA!!!!!
As Matt was running around, I noticed just a bit behind the embankment (which you can see behind them in the picture above), there was a smattering of snow in the shade. We trudged though the undergrowth and little streams until we came to it. Lo and behold, it actually connected to a nearby hiking path!
As things would have it, it turned into an impromptu hiking trip, which Matt totally loved! And, he even got to play in the snow!


Here we are on top of a big boulder. He wanted to climb it himself, but since I prefer my babies not dropped off a mountain top, I decided to help.

Anyway, after that was the real party. Here's some pics of him opening up some gifts!

He had to learn to unwrap-practice for Christmas!

Wow Mom, a cube. Thanks.

Hmm...am I 2 or 10?


Hyiiaaah! That one was Nino! Unngh! That was Mai! Yeah! I like this being rewarded for being aggressive game!!! Yeah!!!

Toward the end. The poor baby was all worn out. And Matt was pretty tired too.

One last stop to gaze at the giant rodent child god (hmm...both look cute, are small and destructive, and hard to get rid of humanely...) Just kidding!

Here was story time tonight, with Arthas, Matt and I. Matt loves Arthas very much. Not sure the feeling is mutual.

On a completely different note....we are getting our carpets cleaned tomorrow. Not that we need it or anything. Thank you Mai, and your little toddler minion, bane of clean carpets everywhere!!
And on a very unrelated note, Arthas poops in the sink. No, I don't know why. He will go in litter box if the guest bathroom door is shut. Strange kitty. Fits in perfectly.

Matt's Birthday Party!

We are having a small birthday party for Matt tonight. Not many people can go so it's just family and close friends :-)
Also I want to let everyone know that YES you are getting Christmas/holiday cards :-) They may be late because they will contain pictures but the pictures won't be ready until tomorrow afternoon. Since I work tomorrow afternoon, the cards won't go out until saturday.
By the way, I made the traditional holiday sugar cookies last night.

Tradition is to frost them pink, but Sean wanted different colors. So I made red, green, and pink frosting. But it got too late, so I am going to finish frosting the round ones pink tonight.

Matthew is having a very difficult time having those cookies in eyesight.  The look on his face is pure agony.  Poor guy.  I promised him one after lunch, but that just sent him into a maddening rage, which I did take video of.  I do feel like that would be going just too far though to publish his rage online for others to chuckle at.  Not that it wasn't too far at all that I videotaped it.  

He seems intruiged to see videos of his tantrums, like he can't believe the fuss he's making.  Of course that doesn't stop him, but is funny to see him watch himself.

Anyway I will post later with pictures from UpChuk E Cheese.  The only place we can take him that is cheap and he enjoys.  Have a good day everyone!

We're Suckers

Yep. Big fat suckers. Oh and did I mention dumb? Yes.
It's true.
And I'm sorry. We said we never would and we did anyway. We got another cat.

We named him Arthas and Matt LOVES him. He is ultra gentle and docile. Lets Matt do anything to him, and is great with the other animals. He is about 4-5 months old, and not too vocal, though he purrs a lot.

Him and his brother were in a cardboard box in the middle of the street and almost got ran over. Some good samaritan swerved and barely missed them, and picked them up and dropped them off at PetSmart. I didn't know all that, but one of my friends showed me them. They were in the recieving area in a big wire kennel. His brother was sort of hyper and more typical, but Arthas came right up to me and started purring and rubbing against me, and fell asleep with me petting him. He rolled onto his back while I did his nails, and was just the best kitty ever. Sean and I both agreed to take him home, cleaned him up,

and he fit right in. He totally just captivated our hearts.

This is what he does every night. He loves Sean.

When Sean has to get up, he passes sleeping kitty to me (just like a newborn) and I hold him.

The whole time he sleeps like a rock. If he wakes up (like above), he falls back asleep, purring loudly. Very trusting.

Nino tolerates him, but is pretty jealous. Poor cat! We show him love too, but he gets bitter and stalks off to glare at us from under the table.
Anyway, onto other news. Sean started at Pizza Hut again, to make ends meet until he can get a better job. I decorated for Christmas:

And Matt loves the look! Here's Matt helping Dad clean his keyboard.

And a random pic of Matt in the bath!

Nothing better than random pictures!
Anyway, that's about it. I know the posts are few and far between these days, but I've been working more and there hasn't been much to report. But I'll keep taking cute pics!
(oh and a side note to mom--he doesn't shed yet and shouldn't be when you're here. So no allergy worries!)

Another New One?

Really quick: I got a new phone! It's the Palm Centro!

And no, I didn't go out and buy it--it's Joey's "old" phone that he upgraded. It is in perfect condition and I love it! Super cool. The only thing that sucks is the games are ridiculously expensive. $15 for tetris? $20 for bejeweled? (Just to download). No thanks! I guess I will practice my Sudoku (the one game it came with). I have pics to post up later--but gotta go take care of the baby!

Pretzels...yum!

So, last night I tried my hand at making pretzels! It was a lot of work because they have two different bake cycles and a boiling step, but they turned out wonderfully!

We don't have any coarse salt, so I used cinnamon and sugar and they were a big hit. The only downside is some sugar that spilled on the sheet caramelized and formed a dark layer under some of them, so next time I'll be more careful.
Here's a random picture of Matt in the corner.

He gets mad when I take pictures of him in the corner and use it in humorous blog posts. Weird kid.
Last week we went to the park as a family and had lots of fun. We took Mai, and she was very happy.

Lately she hasn't gone anywhere but the vet, so this was a nice change of pace for her. I may take her again today. Ebony was just glad to be part of things.

*woof* take my good side, *woof*
And here's Matt, ever looking like the victim of domestic violence.

He actually fell and hit his cheek on the corner of the coffee table, but somehow it made a nasty black eye that took over a week to go away. It gets really old after a week answering everyone's questions about it. I finally decided to tell everyone that was where his monocle usually goes.
No word from interviewer yet, although I am not sure Sean has checked today. He is over at his Mom's fixing up the Kia.
Okay, going to go eat some pretzels! Hope everyone has a good day!!!

Quickly...

Just an update. Sean went to the interview yesterday and he did amazing. They are thinking of putting him in charge of a whole warehouse as an IT manager. The boss was impressed that he has actually been in the work force (I guess he's only interviewed students from ITT Tech so far). Now he is going to interview with the district manager soon--hopefully next week. I am so excited! I can't completely trust how well Sean actually did because maybe his opinion is a little inflated, but the fact that he has a 2nd interview with the district manager bodes well.
So I'm keeping my fingers crossed (it makes typing difficult).

Trick or Post!

Okay, here is the "big" post I've been meaning to post for a long time! So, this will span for a big period of time-just be prepared!
Here's Matt with his "girlfriend" Kaelyn.

Aren't they cute? Look at those smooth moves! They like each other but are still learning the fine points of sharing nicely.

Here's me with them. In case you're wondering, she is almost exactly one month younger than Matt.
We threw her mom, Jody, a suprise baby shower. She's expecting her second one in a couple weeks, and was sad because she thought no one was throwing her a shower. So we suprised her on Oct. 21st and she was super happy! I made her a diaper cake, which was two packs of tightly rolled diapers stacked like a cake with the gifts inside. I am not very crafty, and was very suprised how nice it came out!

Here's the front...

And the back! Those are shirts, by the way, one for Kaelyn and one for her little sister.

Here's Matt playing at his Great-Aunt Karen's house. He had a blast and was so cute I just had to take a video too.


Moving along to Halloween...those are our pumpkins! I had to carve them all this year because someone (no names!) didn't want to help! So that's why someones pumpkin looks stupid. Matt is the pukey one, and I'm laughing because I am such a nice mom.

As you know, Matt dressed up like Tigger for Halloween. He was wonderful for the face makeup, but couldn't stop picking at it! So...that's why Tigger's stripes aren't so Tiggeriffic.

Look Kaelyn, pretty hot light! Let me show you what happens when we touch it!
(Crispy Tigger!)

And the whole candy-hogging gang!

And we're off! To see the...lizard?

They didn't understand why they were going up to several strange houses and not going in at first, but candy is a strong motivator and they learned quickly. After trick-or-treating with Kaelyn, we broke off and I went with Matt and Kim (the littler blonde girl). We went to several neighborhoods and Matt would not let go of his bucket for anything. It was super heavy and filled to the top, but he kept marching on. Kim had me hold hers because hers was "too heavy", and Matt's was twice that. We had lots of fun and he had a lot of admirers. Can't wait until next year!

Of course on Tuesday, we voted. The polling place was at our apartment complex this year, so we didn't have to go far. Matt cheated the system and voted twice (hence the two stickers). He voted "yes" on prop. M: Extended rights to all kids named Matthew for unlimited viewing of the movie "Cars" and the right to consume massive loads of candy for every meal.

Apparantly, there is no prop. M as I was led to believe and his ballot wasn't counted. We are suing for discrimination.

Whooops, before I forget! Sean interviewed with the job recruiter for the job and took the test on SQL and had a great interview and a high (and higher than the other applicants) score. Tomorrow he does the interview with the company. Wish him luck!

Trudging Along...

Sorry about the lack of posts!  There hasn't been much to post about.  I'm working, Sean's staying at home, and Matt is getting cuter and cuter.  

Only one new thing to report:  Sean has a job lead!  Yay!  He contacted ITT tech, (who got him his last job), and the career advisor sent his resume to a job recruiter, who sent it on to a company.  They liked it a lot and he was supposed to have his interview with the recruiter and the company today, but ended up just interviewing with the recruiter (who really liked him).  If hired, he will be a database administrator to a warehousing company in Rialto, which is closer than his last job.  They made him take a test on the stuff he'd be doing (something called Sequol), and he got an 88%.  The average is 60%, and the recruiter was excited.  Hopefully he will get called in for the real interview soon, and he will have a job!  BTW, database administrator pay is pretty good--supposed to be $20 an hour or $40,000/yr.  Of course they might not hire him at that, but anything helps!  And I could go back to part time--yay! 

But I've got to try not to get my hopes up.  Just hard because the last interview led to him being offered the job on the spot--and it could happen again!  

Anyway I have pics and all that good stuff, and I'll post them later.  Right now I have to not let napping time go to waste and take a shower.  

Bad News!

I don't have much time, but I just want to update everyone on what happened. Yesterday, Sean got laid off, along with 1/3 of his company.
I am going back to full time status as soon as possible, which will not be until the second week of November.
Of course Sean is doing everything he can to find a job. He is filing for unemployment on monday (online application didn't work, because they asked if he had been in the military and when he said "yes", they wanted discharge papers and of course he hasn't been discharged yet).
We're going to seize this opportunity to get Medi-Cal and food stamps (free food, yay) and to spend quality family time we didn't have before.
Gotta run though--late to work!!

Pointless Poll

I'm sorry I made a poll making everyone think they had a say in his costume decision.  Turns out, my friend Jody has a perfect condition Tigger costume which is super adorable (and free!); plus, Matt loves it!  I'll post pictures of him in it soon--gotta get to yucky cleaning!

Oh as a side note--I've lost my voice!  I feel better, but no voice!  Makes talking to Matt much more adventurous.  He got mad at me this morning when he was throwing a temper tantrum over something little and I told him I didn't negotiate with terrorists (I hadn't had caffeine yet).  

Well...let's just say I think he has different foreign policy views!

On another side note--maybe Tigger qualifies as a fairy.  (thereby validating the poll)

A Lesson In Being A Mom

Something amazing happened today!  Well, it probably won't be amazing to any parent reading this, but I got taught a good lesson from Prince Matt himself.

We had just gotten home from a long day.  I've been sick for a few days, and today was the first day of real work and I was exhausted.  Matt was all day at the daycare, and that always wears him out.  We had to swing by work because I forgot something, and then we made a pit stop at Toys R Us (didn't buy anything, they were out of stock of the table and chair set I---Matt---wanted).  Anyway, by the time we got home and walked the dogs, it had been a pretty tiring day.  As soon as I sat down to rest, Matt started whining and went to his normal seat at the table, indicating he wanted to eat.  So, being the really wonderful mom I am, I made him some happy face 10-layer lasagna from scratch, along with an elaborate tasty-looking outdoor scene made from veggies all while cleaning my kitchen and dancing with Matt.

Ok..I made him a peanut butter sandwich.  Hey--he'd eaten well all day!  Anyway, they're his favorite right now, good source of protien, and easy.

Well right away as soon as he saw the sandwich he began to scream.  He screamed when I put him in the chair and he tried to throw it across the room.  He pointed to my water, I gave it to him and he tried to throw it.  He screamed when I took them away.  When I put them back.  And so on.  Then Dad came home and that made everything worse (more audience!).  He didn't want to eat it on our laps or walking around.  Finally we ask him what he wants and he goes to the fridge and picks out yogurt.  Fine--so we give him yogurt and he seems happy.  A couple spoonfuls in, however, he decides he is done and starts screaming louder than before and threw himself on the floor and banged his head on the floor several times.  I was appalled--I'd seen him act like this before but this time I felt really bad for him.  He obviously wanted something and he couldn't express it and he was frustrated--though I think his body and his mind wanted different things.

We tried holding him, letting him go--nothing.  More screaming and throwing fits.  Sean said shower?  And I told him no, Matt didn't want a shower.  Sean got mad because that always cheers him up and I didn't want to.  Not that I didn't want to, but I just KNEW it was something else.  I knew he needed to be shown that he was loved and understood, and not just keep offering things up until he took something.  Sean left (he had to go somewhere), and I took Matt into his room, shut the door, and rocked him in his chair, even as he was screaming.  I didn't say anything and suddenly!  He relaxed, gave one big shuddering sigh, and looked up into my eyes and didn't break contact for a whole minute!  (remember, this is the kid with the attention span of a fly).  He then started smiling, and turned around and hugged me and rested his head.  After about 20 minutes of that (and eventually some talking and a few books), I asked him if he was hungry.  He said yes, and I asked him if he wanted to eat his sandwich and he went to the door.

He sat down and ate his sandwich perfectly, and did everything I told him happily (throw away the rest, put your plate away, go get me a diaper, get undressed).  Just an amazing turnaround.  No fussing for anything (so unusual near bedtime), and when it was time for bed I hugged him again, told him to get into bed, and he went.  Laid down, no crying, let me tuck him in and leave.  

So my lesson was:  Sometimes even though I'm really tired and have had a bad day, and it would be so nice to give him an easy fix, he just needs mom even if he doesn't say it.  And only mom--no dogs, phones, tvs or anything.  It was so refreshing and made everything better.  Yay!

Sick Baby!

Matt is sick. He didn't eat dinner Wednesday night, which I didn't think much of, because sometimes he is a fussy eater. I tried to make him eat, but he wouldn't. Oh well, I thought, he'll be so hungry tomorrow he'll gobble breakfast down. Well yesterday he didn't want breakfast. I tried his favorite cereal--no response. Then an hour later I tried to feed him his favorite oatmeal. He looked happy when I made it, but only ate one bite then pushed it away. Soon after, he was walking around and came up to me and suddenly vomited everywhere! Poor guy! I cleaned him up and cuddled with him, and he slept for a long time. I called the doctor and she said not to worry and to give him pedialyte. So I did, and he drank it down. He didn't eat dinner either and he hasn't eaten much today. So, (he's waking up, gotta type fast!), Sean took today off, and got out of drill this weekend so he can be with Matt while I work. Sean still has to go in tonight, but I got off early. Poor little guy! Wish him luck!

Seaworld!

Last Tuesday, Matt, Jana and I went to Seaworld (and I got a pass so we can go for the rest of the year). Jana paid--thank you Jana! It was so amazing!!! I was so used to zoo-type experiences, where Matt would be interested slightly, but mostly a passive observer. This was so different!
Matt loved everything! First off, were the killer whales. He was laughing and pressing his face against the glass. Mind you, this is the kid who is scared of finger-sized lizards. But two-ton killer whales? No prob!

Also, Seaworld is small enough to where he can walk everywhere. (He really got worn out, because he was so happy and excited he ran everywhere). After the whales we were off to the starfish. He liked them, but did not enjoy the cold water. Here's him touching one briefly, before deciding that braving the cold water wasn't worth it.

Seaworld also has this place called the "Bay of Play". It is a huge section designed specifically for toddlers. We went on his first ride, and he didn't like it much.

They also have a big free-play area,

a water play area, and a big climbing place for the slightly older toddlers/kids. He sat still for both the Shamu show and the dolphin show, and seemed really interested. We sat in the splash zone and he didn't particularly enjoy being doused with cold salt-water. But it was hot outside, so he got over it fast.
Here's him near the outdoor penguin exhibit.

The indoor one was really cool, but I didn't get any good pictures because we were on a moving walkway.
Here's the walrus:

He was a lot more amazing than I thought he'd be up close. Matt loved him, but every time he was near, there were a billion people.

So Matt entertained himself by running crazily up and down the ramp and stairs.

Here's a video of him in the Arctic Circle exhibit. Notice in the cave how he runs out really fast when he hears the roaring! He did not like that one bit!

And lastly, one more video. Sorry for the yucky quality of these ones, the lighting was really strange in the exhibit.

Anyway to sum up--Matt LOVED every part of the trip! He did not get fussy once and kept being super interested in everything. He really liked the penguins--I think he has some of his Grammy penguin blood surfacing! We will definitely be going again soon, possibly the week after next. Until next time...enjoy!
Oh and on a completely unrelated note: Heroes premiers tomorrow night! I am so excited!!!
Sorry, one more thing...I found this on the internet and this is EXACTLY what Matt does with Jana!!!
This could be Matt
He'll scream and throw a fit if he thinks I am there, but as soon as Auntie Jana goes in and tells him to go to sleep, he does. That little....hmm...

The Last Supper

Tonight I have to wonder--what would I like for my last dinner if I were a dog? Hamburgers? Freshly hunted bird? Kitty roca? Tonight Mai will dine...for the last time!!! Bwahahaha!
Whoops...I realize that I haven't updated this blog in a while. So I will fill you in.
After the passing of Nostromo, I directed my attention to my other animals and their health problems. I noticed that Mai was having trouble holding her urine, and was showing signs of a UTI. She would squat for a long time and not pee anything--pee uncontrollably, pee only a drop, etc. So I took her into the vet for a check up and they performed a urinalysis. It came up positive for a pretty bad infection, but there was more. The vet said they had detected struvite crystals which she said could indicate bladder stones (and if she had those, the infections would keep coming back), and she recommended an x-ray and a urine culture to make sure. The culture would also confirm exactly which antibiotic would kill the infection. I told her I couldn't afford it, and she sent Mai home with a general antibiotic. After the 10 days on it, she had only gotten worse, to the point of peeing blood and eventually having to wear a diaper.
So, I called and got her in for the x-ray and culture. The culture was sent off, and I got a call about the x-ray. They wouldn't tell me over the phone, so I headed down to the vet, expecting the worst.
First off they told me what a strong little dog she is. She was obviously in incredible pain, and she didn't make a sound when peeing/being examined. Then I saw the x-ray. She indeed had a bladder stone--one as big as her bladder! It is about as big as a small egg, which for a 12 pound dog is pretty atrocious. They said for her, it causes lots of pain as it rubs against other organs (causing the bloody urine), and making her feel like she has to "go" all the time. The vet said that it has been there for a while and probably been the cause of her potty problems.
So, to the treatment. The vet said that until the culture came back, he couldn't be sure what type of chemicals were in her body and what could be causing the buildup. He said most stones require surgery (which I got the estimate for--it would be $890)--but one type of stone can respond to a food diet that can dissolve it. That would be a struvite stone, and he said he was cautiously optimistic that it might be a struvite stone due to the struvite crystals in her urine. However, we wouldn't know until the culture was back.
So for a week, I stressed and stressed, watching Mai get slowly worse and worse. She now wears a diaper exclusively. I wondered how I could afford the surgery--there was no way. But there was also no way I was going to let my little girl suffer either.
And today I got the call! The culture confirmed that it is most likely a struvite stone, and also the infection is responsive to every antibiotic they tested against it so the vet was able to prescribe the cheapest. She will probably have to be on antibiotics the rest of her life, because bladder stones are caused by a series of "sub-clinical" UTIs, though she could cut down to a lesser dosage once the stone disappears. So, onto the food therapy.
If I follow an extremely super strict diet of ONLY the prescription food and the antibiotics, her stone could dissolve. However, she cannot get any other food at all. No table scraps, treats, grass, etc. This is going to be hard with a toddler who loves to feed her his leftovers, but it's worth it.
So, tonight is her last meal before the new diet. I'm leaning toward a beggin strip burger...

Nostromo

Nostromo, our cat, passed away early this morning. For those who don't know, he has been in our family for 15-16 years. We got him as a small kitty, and he has survived through severe cases of feline leukemia, bad skin problems, head trauma, and more recently, kidney failure and a possible thyroid problem. Through all that he was always cheerful, always up for a good purr/petting session. He was the only cat that would put up with me when I was a kid, every other one hated me and would scratch, bite or run away.
Here are some pictures I have of him--sorry for the glowing eyes. His green eyes reflected light very well!



He is missed very much! But we know he is in a better place, being fed kitty treats by doggie slaves and being cuddled with night and day.